Litzinger Earns Top Coach Honor at University of Utah

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, November 28. ON the heels of his sixth season at the helm of the University of Utah's swimming and diving teams, head coach Michael Litzinger is the winner of this year's Don Reddish coaching award.

"I am honored to accept this award named after our former swimming coach Don Reddish," said Litzinger. "Don set a standard of excellence not only in swimming at Utah, but for all of our athletic programs. Many thanks go to the University, my assistant coaches, my family, and my athletes … all of whom make the Utah Swimming and Diving program a special one."

The veteran head coach saw his teams set 13 Utah records and five Mountain West Conference records in 2005-06, winning the MWC's Coach of the Year for his efforts.

Last year, Litzinger guided the women's team to a 9-1 overall mark and to an 8-0, first-place finish in the Mountain West Conference. The same team went on to capture the championship crown, amassing 679.5 points in the victory. There were five individual conference champions, three relay conference champions and 16 all-conference honorees under Litzinger's guidance. In addition to all-conference laurels, Litzinger saw Amber Walter and Kelsey Patterson qualify for the NCAA championships.

Litzinger mentored the men's team to new heights last year. Not only did the men finish 26th at the NCAA championships, but they also produced the team's first All-American diver. Sterling Richards captured All-America honors, garnering first-team accolades in the 1-meter and a second-team distinction in the 3-meter. In addition to Richards, Litzinger led another eight men's swimmers to all-conference honors.

His swimming and diving teams continue to thrive this season. Entering action this week, the women are still a perfect 4-0 while the men are 3-4. Litzinger also crossed a major coaching milestone. On Nov. 4, his women's team beat UNLV, 142-120, earning him his 100th career victory as a women's coach.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x